Packers-Cowboys game falls victim to cable war

If the Patriots-Colts showdown earlier this month was considered the NFL game of the year, then tonight's Packers-Cowboys matchup is a strong contender for next-best.

Ken McMillan

If the Patriots-Colts showdown earlier this month was considered the NFL game of the year, then tonight's Packers-Cowboys matchup is a strong contender for next-best.

However, if you are not one of the relatively small handful of satellite-dish customers who have the NFL Network cable channel, the only way you can follow the game is on the radio.

The NFL Network is not carried by the region's two primary cable providers, Time Warner and Cablevision, and only dish customers will have access via the NFL channel and the subscription "NFL Sunday Ticket" channel. The game will be carried on radio station WFAN (660 AM) via the CBS/Westwood One radio network.

Tonight's game will be available in 43 million homes nationwide, compared to 90 million homes that have ESPN. There are 109.6 million homes with TV in the United States.

The NFL-owned network and major cable providers are waging a war of words, sure to heat up with this major showdown being blacked out to a majority of fans.

The NFL Network wants to charge cable companies 70 cents per subscriber — even if you don't like or watch football — almost double that are charged for most common cable channels. Cable operators are balking, claiming the channel is "niche" programming and the fee is too expensive. Cable says it will place the channel on its sports subscription tier, while the NFL wants the channel offered on more common basic tiers.

Like the games televised by cable channels ESPN (1987-present) and TNT (1990-97), the NFL Network telecast is also offered to a broadcast station in the home market of the two clubs. That is why the season-ending Patriots-Giants game on Dec. 29 will be televised by WWOR-TV Channel 9, as well as the NFL Network.